The Bank of the Republic of Burundi has officially launched “BurundiPay”, a new instant payment system designed to enable real-time payments and fund transfers 24/7 from users’ bank accounts and mobile wallets. Developed with support from the Project to Support the Foundations of the Digital Economy (PAFEN), the platform is built on full interoperability between commercial banks, microfinance institutions and payment institutions, allowing transactions across different parts of the financial system. The central bank positioned BurundiPay as part of its payments-modernisation reforms, complementing existing infrastructure including the automated clearing house (ACH), the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system and the national payment switch, with an objective of supporting financial inclusion and reducing cash usage. In launching the system, the Governor called on financial institutions to accelerate their integration with BurundiPay and encouraged the public to adopt the new payment method. The central bank also noted that Burundi becomes the 22nd African country to adopt an instant payments system.
Bank of the Republic of Burundi 2026-04-23
Bank of the Republic of Burundi launches BurundiPay instant payments system
The Bank of the Republic of Burundi has launched “BurundiPay”, a 24/7 instant payment system enabling real-time transfers between bank accounts and mobile wallets. Developed with support from the Project to Support the Foundations of the Digital Economy, the interoperable platform links commercial banks, microfinance institutions and payment institutions, and is positioned as part of broader payments-modernisation reforms to support financial inclusion and reduce cash usage.